zimmermann



April 2- P. ZIMMERMANN 1,855,462

BLAST FURNACE Original Filed Oct.- 5.1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WWW ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAUL ZIMMERMANN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO K. A. BRASSERT & GOM- PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS BLAST FURNACE Application filed October 5, 1927, Serial 224,140. Renewed April 14, 1930.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in blast furnaces and more particularly to that, type of blast furnaces that are used in the manufacture of iron. One of the objects of my invention is the provision of new and improved means for feedingthe fuel to this type of furnace.

With thetype, of feeder in use on many blast furnaces today, the fuel is not evenly distributed while being fed to the furnace,

will be equally distributed while being fed.

to the furnace to produce a more even burn- 3 ing ofthe fuel in the furnace. V

Withthe above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel features of' construction, the combination and arrange ment of parts hereinafter more fully described,pointed out in the claimsand shown inthe accompanymg; drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view with parts shown in elevation.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevation on'the line 33 of Figure 1. I

Figure 4 is a detail enlarged view of the operating shaft and its connection with the 1 operating mechanism, parts thereof being.

shown in elevation; v

Figure 5 is a sectional View on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6,.is a sectional view of the, line 66 of Figure 1,and V Figure 7 is a sectional view on the line 7-7 of Figure 1;

In the construction ofblast furnaces of this type, thefurnace usually includes a conrrete or similar bodylreinforced by superimposed plates 2 of ring like or similar form. The body 1 in the present illustration is circular in form with a truncated cone shaped top 3, the central portion of which is formed with a fuel receiving opening 4. The exterior of the body is provided with a metal casing 5 to assist in retaining the heat within the furnace.

As shown in Figure 1 the fuel is indicated at 6 and arranged within the opening 4 is a hopper 7 which delivers the fuel to the furnace. Arranged above the hopper 7 in" an inverted position is a second hopper'8,each hopper having an annular flange 9' resting upon an annular supporting member 10 which is fixed to the casing part surrounding the top 3. Above the hoppers 7 and Sand resting on the hopper 8 is a cylindrical chamber 11 for receiving the fuel to be fed through hoppers 7 and. 8 to the furnace. The upper open end of hopper 8 is formed with an annular flange 12 upon which rests an annular flange 13 on the lower end of chamber 1'1 to form a substantial support for the same.

A conical valve member 11 normally closes the lower end of chamber 11 and extending upwardly from this valve is a tube 15 which supports at its upper end ayoke 16 ofU' shaped form. Pivotally mounted upon a rod 17 are the arms 18" having one endpivotally connected to the upper-ends of the yoke 16 while the other ends are pivotally connected to any type of operatinginechanism whereby the yoke 16, tube 15 and valve 11 may be raised at the will ofthe operator; and retained in a closed position, as shown in Figure 1.

Arranged in and normally closing the lower open end of thehopper 7 is the main conical feed valve 19 which controls the feeding of the fuel to the. body of the furnace. This valve 19 is connectedby means of a universal joint 20 to a rod 21 that extends up through the tube 15 andhas its upper end disposed'betweenthe arms of the yoke 16. The

upper end of the rod 21 is'connectedto an,

arm 22 which in turnv is pivotally connected with a rocker arm 23 on the rod 17, said rocker arm being connected with any type of operating mechanism or can be equipped with a cord 24 to be manually operated for imparting movement to the rod 21 and valve 19 so as to close valve 19 and retain same in a closed position.

WVhen it is desired to open valve14, the operating mechanism connected with yoke 16 is released allowing the weight of the fuel in chamber 11 to force the valve 14 to an open position, so that the fuel in chamber 11 will pass downwardly into, hopper 7. As the valve 19 is opened it is also rotated and in order to carry this into eflect the proper mechanism is provided which consists of forming a housing25 at the lower end of arm 22 and supporting therein a ball raceway 26. In order'toretain the raceway 26 in its proper position in the housing 25, the raceway is formed with lugs 27 which project into suit- ...able openings formed. in the housing as shown in Figure 4. .The upper end of the rod 21 extends into the housing and has secured thereto a cap 28 formed with a raceway 29 opposed to the raceway 26 for prop- .erly retaining the bearing balls 30 in place.

From this it will be apparent that the rod 21 and valve 19 are mounted for rotation.

Mounted upon suitable supports 31 and arranged upon opposite sides of the tube 15 and rod 21 are the. guide bars 32 which have their lower ends pivotally connected to the supports 31 as at 33 andare normally supported in a position normally inclining toward each other by means of the stop brack- 3 s ets 34 carried by, the supports 31.v Weights 35 are connected to the inner sideso-f the bars 32in order to normally urge the bars to their normal inclining position as shown in Figure 1. The rod 21 is formed at a point below the housing 25 with a rectangular portion 36 recessed'in the rod as shown in Figures4 and 6.and fitted to the rod 21 in this recessed portionis a wheel member 37 formed with radiating'spokes 38. Mounted upon the spokes 38 at their outer ends are the rollers v39 which are adapted to engage and ride upon the inclined .guidebars 32 when the valve 19 is opened and the rod21 lowered.

Thus the valve 19will be rotated due to-the engagement of the roller 39 with the inclined bars 32 rotating the wheel 37 and rod21.

"This valve 19 is of novel design with its lower end dropping downwardly as at 40 to a substantially bell shaped design as shown in Figure '1, and. the inclined sides of the valve member 19 are provided at diametrical points with the oppositely disposed recesses 41 which do not extend as far into the body of the valve as the corresponding oppositely disposed openings 42 which are arranged at rightangles to the openings 41. The openings 41 and 42 include substantially radial sides whereby the openings narrowin width towards the center of the valveand, therefore, the deeper openings 42- are narrower at their inner ends than the openings 41. Thus 44 form deflector plates and have their upper ends concentrically curved relative to the center of the valve. It will be noted from Figure 7 that the deflector plates 44, which are arranged across the deeper openings 42, are closer to the center of the valve than the remaining deflector plates and, further, are inclined more steeply towards the center of the valve.

the upper ends of the openings 42 will e directed by the deflector plates 44 substantially to the center of the furnace while the fine material which passes through the upper endsof the openings 41, will be directed bythe deflector plates 44 to points between the center and sides of the furnace. The remaining material will either flow through the lower portions of the openings 41 and. 42 or over the lower cylindrical edge of the Valve. Thus it will be apparent that the material will be more evenly distributed through the furnace than would be the case where the openings are all of the same size and the deflector plates are arranged in simi lar positions. In this construction it will be:

noted that more of the fine or smaller pieces of fuel will be deposited in the central part of the furnace where the strongest draft is; located and will be more thoroughly con-- sumed. The fine material is thus not allowed to be all deposited at the sides of the center where it generally packs down so tight as to prevent'the passage of enough draft to cause proper consumption of this fine fuel.

From the above description taken in connection with the accompanying drawin the operation of my improved device will be apparently as follows. Normally the rod 21 and tube 15 are in a raised position closing the valves 14 and 19. The chamber 11 is. filled with fuel and the yoke 16 released, the weight of the fuel causing the valve 14 and tube 15 to move downwardly, allowing the fuel to pass from chamber 11 into hopper 7 and the chamber formed by hoppers 7 and 8. When it is desired to feed this fuel to the furnace the arm 22 is released, the weight of the fuel causing the valve 19 to move downwardly andat the same time pulling downwardlyon rod 21. As the rod 21 moves downwardly, carrying with it the wheel 37, the rollers 39 will engage and ride over the inclined bars 32, causing the rod 21 and valve 19 to rotate. Thus as the fuel passes downwardly over the inclined surfaces of the valve 19,'it will be evenly distributed over the Thus in the operation of the valve, the fine material which drops throu h IIQ burning fuel in the furnace thus obtaining a greater heating capacity than with the ordinary feeding of the fuel. The fuel in this case will be so distributed as to permit of an even draft through the same and cause it to be thoroughly consumed.

It will be apparent that after the fuel has been discharged from the hopper 7 into the furnace, the valve 19 is closed by pulling upwardly on rod 21. This is done by actuating the rocker arm 23 in any suitable manner. If the bars 32 should become displaced during the closing of valve 19 the weights 35 will cause these bars to again assume their normal position.

As heretofore stated my improved furnace with its novel means for feeding the fuel thereto is especially adapted for use in the manufacture of iron and is known as a blast furnace and with this improved construction it is believed that the same may be operated at minimum .cost with maximum efficiency.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention it Will be readily apparent that various changes and alterations may be carried out in putting my invention into. commercial use without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a fuel hopper, a valve for controlling the discharge of fuel from the hopper, a rod connected with the valve, means having connection with the 1 rod whereby to move the valve toward and away from the hopper, inclined guide bars supported upon opposite sides of the rod, a wheel carried by the rod having radial spokes, and rollers carried by the spokes for engagement with the guide bars whereby to rotate said rod and valve during movement of the valve away from the hopper.

2. In a device of the classdescribed, a fuel hopper, a conical valve for controlling the discharge of fuel from the hopper, means for raising and loweringthe valve, said valve having a plurality of pairs of oppositely arranged openings including substantially radial sides, said pairs of openings varying in depth whereby the successive openings around the valve vary in area and a plurality of inwardly inclined deflector plates extending across said openings and below the lower surface of said valve.

3. In a device of the class described, a fuel hopper, a conical valve for controlling the discharge of fuel from the hopper, means for raising and lowering the valve, said valve having a pluralityof pairs of oppositely arranged openings including substantially radial sides, said pairs of openings varying in depth whereby the successive-openings around the valve vary in area, a plurality of inwardly inclined deflector plates extending across said openings and below the lower surface of said valve, the deflector plates which extend across the deepest openings being arranged closer to the center of the valve than the remaining deflector plates.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 30th day of September, A. D. 1927.

PAUL ZIMMERMANN. 

